The present invention relates generally to scratching posts that household pets can scratch instead of furniture. More particularly, the present invention relates to a cat-scratching post having a disposable cover which may be thrown away at the end of its useful life, and easily replaced with a new cover, thereby eliminating the need to throw away the entire scratching assembly when only the cover is at the end of its useful life.
A number of different types of cat-scratching devices have been patented and are currently available on the market. Many of these devices include a base and a post, wrapped in a carpet-like cover meant to be scratched by a housecat. Since the cover associated with these devices is not designed to be removed and replaced with a new cover, once the cover wears out the entire scratching assembly must be replaced. This is a serious drawback inherent in currently-available scratching devices for at least the following reasons: (1) replacing the entire scratching assembly is substantially more costly than replacing the cover only; (2) throwing away an entire scratching assembly when only the cover needs replacing is wasteful and contributes to waste-disposal problems; (3) purchasing and transporting an entire scratching assembly from the store to the home is inconvenient compared to purchasing and transporting the much less bulky covers only; and (4) since cat owners are far more likely to keep spare covers in the house than they are to keep entire spare scratching assemblies, replacing the entire scratching assembly necessitates more trips to the pet store than replacing the covers alone would.
Accordingly, there is a need for a cat-scratching device that utilizes easily-replaceable, removable covers, thereby accomplishing the following: allowing the underlying base-and-post assembly itself to be preserved for continuing use; helping alleviate waste-disposal problems by generating less waste; eliminating the need to regularly purchase and transport entire bulky scratching assemblies; and decreasing the number of required trips to the pet store by allowing pet owners the option of keeping several spare covers at home. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides other related advantages.
The present invention resides in a cat scratching apparatus having an underlying base and post, and removable covers which may be replaced at the end of their useful life, thereby eliminating the need to dispose of the entire cat scratching apparatus when the covers alone reach the end of their useful life.
The apparatus includes a base and a base anchor attached to an upper face of the base. A cat-scratchable base cover removably attaches to and substantially covers the base. The base cover generally has hook-and-loop tape affixed thereto, and wraps around base sides, attaching to corresponding hook-and-loop tape affixed to an underside of the base. The base cover also contains a hole through which the post extends.
The post removably attaches to the base. Typically, the post attaches by sliding down over the base anchor. A plug fits into a top of the post and serves as a cap. A cat-scratchable post cover removably attaches to and substantially covers the post. The post cover generally has hook-and-loop tape affixed thereto, and attaches to corresponding hook-and-loop tape affixed to the post. Preferably, the post cover has an edge shaped into teeth and grooves that fold over the top of the post and interfit with one another to cover the plug.